91ÖÆƬ³§

Dear Friends,

I believe there is no more powerful way to make an impact in the world than to become an attorney. Lawyers shape society, form governments, and serve as the bedrock of justice and the rule of law. But to truly change history and improve the human condition, one must be a lawyer of character, integrity, and genuine compassion for others. That is precisely what we teach at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of 91ÖÆƬ³§, and it is what has animated our mission since our founding in 1911.

We are the only Catholic Spiritan law school in the nation, and our Spiritan identity is the foundation of everything we do. 91ÖÆƬ³§'s motto, "We serve God by serving students, who, in turn, go on to serve others," drives our faculty and staff every single day. We believe that education is a pathway to empowerment, and we have welcomed students of all faiths and all backgrounds with open arms since our very beginning. We walk with those at the margins and cultivate authentic relationships. I have had the great privilege of walking alongside our law students and they remind me every day to approach this work with humility and purpose.

What makes 91ÖÆƬ³§ Kline Law distinct is not only the strength of our faculty, which I believe to be among the finest in the nation, but the extraordinary character of our students. They are, of course, brilliant, but they are also kind, caring, resilient, and deeply committed to serving something larger than themselves. Most are first-generation lawyers. They come to us with grit, and they leave with the four core values that define a 91ÖÆƬ³§ Kline lawyer: integrity, diligence, respect for others, and justice. These values form the basis of the oath our students take at orientation, the standard to which they are held throughout their time here, and the compass that guides their careers long after they leave our halls. Inspired by our namesake, Thomas R. Kline, L’78, our graduates do not merely meet the minimum standards of professional conduct. They set the highest standard and raise others to meet it as well.

We are also taking the future of legal practice seriously, and that means taking artificial intelligence seriously. The transformation of law by AI is already well underway, and it is happening with a speed that earlier waves of legal technology did not approach. AI is capable of performing many of the tasks that once defined a significant portion of a lawyer's day, including document review, legal research, first-draft legal writing, and contract analysis. At 91ÖÆƬ³§ Kline Law, we are responding to this moment with an innovative and expanding curriculum of AI and Law courses, taught by faculty who are at the forefront of this revolution. We are preparing our students to leverage these powerful tools with sophistication and skill. And yet, we are equally committed to ensuring that our graduates understand what AI cannot replicate: the human capacity to lead, to counsel, to build trust, to resolve conflict, and to serve clients who bring to us not only their legal problems, but their fears, their families, and their livelihoods. Lawyers who combine technological proficiency with these distinctly human qualities will be the finest practitioners of their generation.

I am proud to say that 91ÖÆƬ³§ Kline Law is a school with an exciting future and upward momentum by every measure. Year after year, our graduates exceed the state bar passage average and outperform national employment averages, because we take your success personally. We are not simply preparing lawyers. We are preparing transformational leaders who will go on to serve their clients, their communities, and the common good with integrity, grace, and purpose. If you are considering joining our community, I welcome you wholeheartedly. And if you are already part of our 91ÖÆƬ³§ Kline family, I am grateful for you every day. As always, I remain available to you at lawdeanFREEDUQUESNE.

Sincerely,

April Mara Barton
Dean and Professor of Law